THE OAMARU SEAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3003, 4 October 1911, Page 82

THE OAMARU SEAT.

ADDRESS BY MR R. MILLIGAN. (Fbom Oub Special Reporters.) PALMERSTON, September 29. Mr R. Milligan, who has annunced himself as a candidate to represent the Oamaru electorate in Parliament, addressed a very largo meeting of electors at Palmerston this evening. Mr R. Riddle (Mayor of Palmerston) occupied the chair, and in introducing tho candidate said Mr Milligan stood as a Government representative. He mentioned the many positions Mr Milligan had occu- . pied in Oamaru, which lhe contended showed how well he stood in the estimation of the people of Oamaru. Mr Milligan said that was the first occasion upon which he had spoken publicly in Palmerston, and ho desired to express his appreciation of having such a large audience. They were aware that the electoral boundaries had undergone considerable alteration, and he thought it was a -mty that districts so far away from each other had been linked together as they had been. It would have been better for those present if they had been represented by someone living in their own locality, and he fancied they would have been glad if Mr Clark had been available, but he had elected to stand for the same constituencv as he now represented, although it had undergone considerable change. He (the speaker) had been identified with public life m Oamaru for about 10 years. He had served onthe Borough Council for 10 years, and of that time had been Mayor for six consecutave years. Then he had bacn for'six years a member of the Harbour Board and been chairman for four years, and the affairs ot that body had probably been more complicated than the affairs of any other local body in the country. He went on to speak of the unfortunate position into which the Oamaru Harbour Board had drifted, and pointed out that it had fallen to him to make suggestions for improving the position. That had involved very considerable thought and trouble, but eventually matters were placed on a satisfactory footing.**? had also been a member of the Waitaki High School Beard of Governors and chairman of the Charitable Aid Board, and eo had served his apprenticeship, in local politics. Generally he (Mr Milligan) was a LIBERAL TO THE BACKBONE. He believed in the governing ■ of the country for the people by the people, and ( that the legislation should aim at working to secure the greatest KOodHor 'tho fff»*M» number. Legislation, should ™* f or the few, but for the- many, and that being his political creed, . they .would have no difficulty in discovering jwhich side he was on. He was not an Independent He was not a rail-sitter. He noticed that the Dunedin papers had classed him as an Independent, but be was a oithe Government. In regard to the Leader ot the Opposition, they could not help notice . ing his general policy as to criticism. He took a battleaxe to sharpen a pencil and a Sledgehammer to kill a fly.. He (Mr Mdhgan) did not think the criticism of the Opposition was fair or reasonable at all. Of OianXclaim that the perfect, but to say it had made .mutate* was only to say that it was not mfalhb*. He, however, said that by ate humane ana progressive legislation it had contributed largely to the moral and material wellbeinV of the community. Its usefulness was "not gone, and for that reason be would support it. The duty of a member was to serve his own district, yet one did not want to be .alogether parochial and had to have regard to the affairs i of Empire. He was AN IMPERIALIST. \ He did not believe in separation from : the Old Country, but in a closer organised unity of the parts of the Empire. The speaker went on to refer to the Prime ;Mmisiter's recent vis-it to the Home Country and to the proposal he had made that New : Zealand should have some say in the affairs i of tho Empire and to the fact that it was I poincd out by the Prime Minister of England, when tho question of taxation was introduced, that it would never do to impose taxation upon another country such as New Zealand; Canada* or any other oountry. The loss of the American Statea was due to the imposition of taxation. It was necessary that our trade should bo protected, and that could only be done through the medium of tho navy. ~Our total trade amounted to £39,250,000. and it was absolutely essential that the trade routes should be maintained. Seventy million pounds was provided by the people of the United Kingdom for the support of the army and navy, so that they would realise that an enormous sum was required for tho protection of the British Empire: He concurred with the view that the policy of the Prime Minister to contribute towards the defence of the Empire through the navy was the correct one. It would be out of the question for us to attempt to establish a navy of our own. As to the gift of the Dreadnought, he did not think they should object to that, but the manner in which the gift was made did leave something to be desired. While the Volunteer movement might have been better supported, he would not be in favour cf repealing tho compulsory douse of the present act. It would do young fellows no harm to receive the training. There were people with religious scruples wfao objected to the compulsory cjlause, but he did not think that feeling obtained to any great extent. DOMINION POLITICS. The Liberal party had been in power for 20 years, and the electors were asked to say at this election whether that party should' be again returned to power. If they considered the matter fully he thought they would come to the conclusion that in the best interests of the oountry the party ought to be returned to power. The Liberals said : "Look at the record of the past." The Opposition party had also a record in relation to the work carried on during the last 20 years. What had the Liberals done? Had the Opposition in any way qualified its claim to be placed in power? If they were satisfied with the record of tho Liberal party, and it could continue on these lines, he thought it should be returned to power.—(Applause.) They had been told that they had no right to go back for 20 years and that they should only consider the legislation of tho last five or six years, but the present Prime Minister had been closely identified with the legislation of the last 20 years. During that period the party in power ; had been working for the benefit cf the people, and tho criticism of that work had been the criticism of those people not In power who desired to get into power. He

wanted to enumerate some of the beneficial legislation passed by the Government. J'n 1891 a bill was introduced which was afterwards called the Dairy Act; then tbare were the Factories Act, the Truck Act, the Property Tax Repeal Act, the Post Office Act, the Land for Settlements Act, and the Shop and Shop Assistants Aot. The Land for Settlements Act had been opposed by the Opposition tooth and nail, and it was regarded as confisoatious, robbery, and all sorts of things, but it was one of the most beneficial pieces of legislation ever passed by any Government. (Applause.) Then there was the Advances to Settlers Act, introduced by Sir Joseph Ward, which reduced the rate of-interest to settlers, and subsequently to worjeers, and so on. Mr Milligan referred to what Dr Newman and Mr Duthie had said concerning this, and said that the Government had under this put through over £30,000,000 and had never lost a single penny.—(Applause.) Mr Massey had said of this act that he thought they should draw the line at a State pawnshop.—("Hear, hear, and applause.) But if it had been a State pawnshop it had been some good to the country. In thcs3 days they were paying 8, 10, and 12 per cent, tor money, and this legislation was the means of reducing it to 4i per cent. Was that not a beneficial piece of legislation? One of the loading financial critics of the workl predicted nothing but disaster. i\ow it applauded the scheme to the echo, it has made a saving of directly and indirectly of over 10 millions in payment of interest by the people of this country, and in legal costs, valuation fees, and other charges. Dr Newman took exception to that bill on the ground that it would ruin tno lawyers. Sir William Russell, a prominent member of the, Opposition, said that the rate of interest at that time was low lhe sneaker did not know wnat he would call a K rate. As a result of this legislation tho rate of interest came down frorn 8, ±O, and 12 per cent, to 4i per cent. Mr Duth*e in opposing the passage- of this bill, .hoped that the then Treasurer would put it into the pigeon holes together wrth the cheap Postage scheme of his. These two pieces of legislation, the Advances to Settlers Act and the Cheap Postage Act, stood .to the everlasting credit of the Prime Minister. Then thev had tho Bank of Isew Zealand Guarantee Act introduced present Prime Minister; the Old Age Pensions Act, introduced by Mr Seddon; the Workers' Compensation Act; the Public 'School Teachers' Salaries Act; the National Endowment Act; the Public Debt Extinction Act; the National Provident Fund Act; and the Workers' Dwellings Act. All these, and a host of other measures, were the work of tho present Liberal party. This record of legislation could not be equalled by any other Government in imodsra times All classes had been benefited,; and ho thought the party which had been responsible for this glorious record merited their continued confidence. TRADE CONDITIONS.

Our exports last year amounted to millions,, yet the Opposition told us the country was going to tho dogs. The prices of all our staple products were well maintained, and money couJd bo had at reasonable rates. New Zealand led all other countries with £4O a head for her exports and imports. Our last year's receipts were 10£ millions and the expenditure 9i millions, and after the transfer, to the publio works of over £BOO,OOO thace remained a surplus of £586,483. That was a- splendid record for the year. It was very difficult to understand the criticism of tho Opposition. On , the on© hand they were told the surplus was a bogus one, and on the other vhand that it was the result of over taxation. In a pamphlet called " tho Political Reform Party's Points for the People," the Opposition stated that the cost of Government under the Ward Administration had increased from £7,000,000 in 1906 to £9,000,000 in 1910, which meant increased burdens for the people. This last assertion was absolutely untrue. Jt did not moan increased burdens for the people. The Opposition did not give the ways in which this expenditure had been made up; By inquiries into the causes of these, they would see'that the increased expenditure had been- justified. The amount paid for interest and sinking fund was £2,500,000. > A great deal of that was revenue-producing. Old-age pensions absorbed £365,000: was that pernicious prodigality. The appropriations for Post and Telegraph Department totalled £911,819, and that expenditure yielded a very considerable profit. The Working Railways Department cost over 2\ millions, and what would \ve be without the railways? Tho Education Department required, almost a million, but no one begrudged that. If he had his way he would make education for the young people free right up to the university. .Yet they wore told that all this is pernicious /prodigality. Then' there were the appropriations to tho Defence Department (£212,939). Internal Affairs (£262,000), Customs (£114,737), Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourists (£184,579). The Opposition said that' these were all extravagances, but thoy failed to give instances.. Neither did they say anything about tho expenditure they advocated. THE PUBLIO DEBT.

The Opposition pointed out that there had been an increase of 40 million pounds in the publio debt during the last 20 years. It' was true that the- debt had increased, but had not the assets also increased? They did not say one word of explanation in this pamphlet as to what the public debt represented. Prior to the present liberal party coming into office they were told that the publio debt stood at £39,000,000, and when Sir Joseph Ward brought down the 1906 Budget it amounted to £62,000,000; or, in other words, that under the late Mr Seddon's rule there had been an increase of £23,000,000. On the 31st March, 1911. the gross public debt stood at over £81,000,000, of which the Opposition said £19,000,000 had been piled up during the five yoar9 under Sir Joseph Ward. It was grossly unfair to single out these bald facts without at the .same time showing how this increase had. come about. Mr Massey .said in the House: "It was not so much what wo borrow as how we spend it wisely, economically and well on reproductive works, or partly reproductive. We have to be careful that our borrowing does not injure our credit" Judging by that remark of Mr Massey, the expenditure had been justified. Sir William Russell said: "We are essentially a borrowing country; we found our colony in a rough state, we were anxious to improve the country, and that could only be done by borrowing money." A great deal of the £80,000,000 was represented by Railways and Post and Telegraphs. Ho did not say that we are to borrow immoderately. By building roads and

bridges the country was developed,. and the expenditure meiant increased facilities for the people. What was the money borrowed for? Out of the £80,000,000 the railways account for £25,602,000. These were selfsupporting. Advances to settlers ana workers accounted for £8,000,000. This also helped the taxpayer considerably. Nearly two-thirds of the money lent out last year was lent to small settlers in amounts that did not exceed £SOO each. In connection with lands for settlement tne amount represented was £6,303,485. ■*■"*]; again indirectly helped the taxpayer, and . it paid its way. £500,000 was represented »y Bank of New Zealand shares. Whalst the State had paid in interest £125,000 for tnat money it had received £262,000 in dividends in seven years. Why did not the Opposition talk about these facts? Then there were loans to local bodies, almost £S,OOO,UUU, which, by a wise arrangement, would realise £8,000,000. Of that debt of £80,000,000 not less than £33,000,000 was self-supporting and earning interest —it did * not concern the taxpayer at all. n public buildings represented £6,871,251. These were indirectly interest-bearing, because rent would have to be paid to someone if the Government did not possess these buildings. Roads and bridges accounted for £6,871,251, so that about £48,000,000, or 58 per cent, of the whole debt, was bearing interest. Then the indirectly bearing interest portion amounted to 11 per cent, so that we had 69 per cent, of the public debt either directly or indirectly bearing interest. The Opposition said it is a little less, but they confirmed these figures. Now. since 1891 the debt has increased from £39.000,000 to £81,000,000, but they should remember that 86 per cent, of that new debt was selfsupporting. Prior to 1891 the loans that were non-interest>bearing were 51 pe r c* ll *- of the whole debt. Since 1891 the proportion was down to 13 per cent., whilst the population had increased from 634.000 to over 1,000,000. The non-interest-bearing loans had onlv increased by 12 per cent. Our condition in that respect had been unmistakably improved. While our debt wias £80.000,000 our assets were now £650,000,000. Mr Milligan proceeded to quote at length from remarks made by Mr Johnstone (managing director for Messrs Wrisrht, Stephenson, and Co.) at the annual meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce to show that in the opinion; of the owe outside the nale of politics the Dominion had made great progress during the last 20 years. That was the testimony of a hard-headed man of business, who had inquired into the matter. Continuing, Mr Milligan said . . ! BORROWING WAS NECESSARY to build" railways, etc. The Opposition, complained most bittenly if railway extension was not made, and complained about the non-prosecution of the reading of Crown and Native lands, but that work could only i be done by judicious borrowing. What i was the use of this Opposition complaining 1 about the increase of the public debt for purposes of that kind, and yet complaining that these works were not prosecuted with ■the vigour they ought to be! The next matter Mr Milligan touched upon was | TAXATION, and he said that while taxation had increased per head of the population, the increase was largely due to the increased consumption of luxuries, and the increase mostly fell upon the wealthy people, but there had been a remission in the Customs taxation, which had enormously benefited those least able to bear the burden. Speaking on THE LAND QUESTION Mr Milligan said to his mind-it'was most important that the people should be settled oi the land. The question of tenure was v not vital, and he did not object to the freehold in respect to Crown lands and lands for settlement, that was on equitable terms. He did not think, however, that to grant the freehold at the original value was a fair proposal for the State. He would not grant the freehold in respect to anv of the national endowment lands. He would not sell one foot of them. In regard to settlement on the land, he thought it should be prosecuted with greater vigour than it had been for the last year or two. He thought that the complaints made about the Government not doing this were justified to a certain extent, but it must be remembered that there were great difficulties in the way of the Government purchasing land for settlement. If there was a prospect of any land being applied for by the Government the owner immediately asked a very big prioe for it, and the Government was faced with difficulties m that way. It was incumbent upon the Government not to pay too much for the land, and it had had to decline to purchase. At the same time, he thought settlement ou°-ht to ba prosecuted with greater vigour than it had been lately. The difficulties in opening up Native lands were not fully appreciated The law did not allow of their being taken compusorily. There were very great difficulties in the way. but the Government should me its utmost endeavour to open up land for the people to settle upon. ; The BuoVet presented by the Prime MinI ister showed that the same progressive i legislation would be effected, so that.it was a very good Budget. The Opposition isaid that it was a vote-catching Budget If it was that was a proof of its merit. The Otago Daily Times said that it agreed with most of the proposals that were made. He Was very glad that the Lake Coleridge scheme was to be proceeded with first as an experiment, as ho hud no doubt it would be a success in Christchurch. The intended amendment of the Old Age Pensions Act was a humane provision. The scheme tor the establishment of co-operative banks for farmers and the proposad increase to railway workmen met with his hearty support, as did the other reforms foreshadowed by the Budget. After the splendid record 7 the Liberal party had it would be base ingratitude to turn it out at the Opposition's request, and it would mean putting , back the clock of progress for 25 years. The party cry was: "We want a change." i If they did make a change, make it for ,' the better. The programme of the Opposii tion offered nothing. It was merely ra.ga ! and bones. In conclusion, Mr Milligan I stated that if returned he would leave no stone unturned to promote the interests j of the district. j Mr Wheeler moved, and Mr Louis Bar- ! clay seconded, a vote of thanks and con- ! fidenc© in Mr Milligan. ! On the motion being put to the meeting, : about half a dozen hands were held up • in its favour, but it was evident that the foaling of the majority was against the motion. No announcement, however, was made by the chairman.